Eric Christmas Movies

The heartwarming story of a boy, his dog and a basketball forms the basis of this family comedy from Disney. Snively (Michael Jeter) is an unfunny clown whose appearances at children's parties are usually upstaged by his dog Buddy, who has learned how to shoot a basketball. Snively is tired of being upstaged by the pooch, and he eventually abandons him. Buddy is taken in by Josh (Kevin Zegers), a shy boy whose father recently died. Josh's mother Jackie (Wendy Makkena) moves them to a small town in Washington, where the naturally withdrawn Josh doesn't quite fit in. Too shy to try out for the basketball team, he instead becomes team manager, and he practices on his own after the team goes home. One night, Josh discovers Buddy that can not only shoot hoops, but he's a better shot than anyone on the team. Coach Barker (Stephen E. Miller), hungry for victory, adds Buddy to the team and soon the dog with game is famous -- just famous enough, in fact, for Snively to return, demanding the return of his pet. Buddy the Dog was spotted by the film's producers shooting baskets on the "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment of The Late Show with David Letterman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

As the staffers at County General anxiously await news as to which hospital in their county is going to be closed down, a number of personal dramas play themselves out. Both Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) strike out with their respective blind dates; Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) begins to understand the negative effect that being HIV-positive will have on her life; and Carter (Noah Wyle) plots revenge against Benton (Eriq La Salle) for making his first day as an ER intern so miserable. John Aylward makes his debut appearance as Dr. Donald Anspaugh, the ER's new chief of staff. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Helen's latest business venture, that of selling real estate, has crashed and burned. In desperation, Helen (Crystal Bernard) agrees to follow the gang's advice and take a career-placement exam. When the results of the exam threaten to send Helen into a deeper funk, her friends "alter" those results, leading to our heroine's ultimate decision to become a stand-up comedienne -- with a most unique gimmick! Not many TV episodes can boast cameo appearances by both comedian Jim Tavare and Col. Oliver North. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The feud between Sam (Ted Danson) and snobbish restauranteur John Hill (Keene Curtis) reaches yet another impasse. Sam reasons that the only way to remedy the situation is to date Hill's daughter Valerie (Valerie Mahaffey). Meanwhile, Carla (Rhea Perlman) becomes convinced that an old foosball table, dragged out of storage by Woody (Woody Harrelson), is demonically possessed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Made for cable TV, this thriller finds a lawyer (Bryan Brown) plotting the murder of his wealthy wife so he can make off with his secretary. The wrong person ends up dead, however, and he finds himself accused of the crime. ~ John Bush, Rovi

Preparing for their PSAT exams, Will (Will Smith) is cool as a cucumber, while Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) is a bundle of nerves. Once this is established, the audience has no trouble understanding why Carlton is outraged when Will gets a higher test score--though the audience may be less inclined to excuse Carlton for resorting to cheating for the first time in his life. Meanwhile, the Banks kids are forced to do the housework (egad!) when butler Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell) walks out over a wage dispute. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Upon learning that a beloved old vaudeville-movie theater is slated for demolition, Bull (Richard Moll) lodges a protest by shackling himself to the theater's door. It turns out that both Harry (Harry Anderson) and Mac (Charlie Robinson) also have a vested interest in the theater's survival. For Harry, the old buidling harbors many pleasant entertainment memories of his youth. And as for Mac, he puts forth the startling revelation that he made his singing debut at the theater as a member of a teenage R&B group called the Starlites! Watch for veteran kiddie-show host and cartoon voiceover specialist Vance Colvig as a derelict. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season eight of Cheers ended with Sam (Ted Danson) and Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) on the sofa in his office, poised to consummate their new-found relationship. Season nine opens "the morning after" (more or less), with Rebecca staunchly denying to everyone -- including herself -- that she has slept with Sam. When Rebecca's ex-zillionaire boyfriend Robin Colcord (Roger Rees), now a fugitive from justice, suddenly shows up, he begs Rebecca to tell him that nothing went on between her and Sam -- prompting a surprising response from Sam. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Involved in a very minor traffic accident, Murphy (Candice Bergen) is touched by the sweetness and gentility of Bob and Myrna Bickner (Eric Christmas, Amzie Strickland), the drivers of the other car. But her feelings are slightly different when the Bickners hit her with a lawsuit amounting to $1.5 million! With all this going on, it is rather surprising that Murphy's ex-secretary Robert (Charley Lang) would have the courage to show up again. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Long-suffering Carla (Rhea Perlman) loses yet another husband when hockey player Eddie LeBec is killed in a freak ice-show accident (something to do with a penguin and a Zamboni machine). As if this isn't devastating enough, Carla is in for another shock at Eddie's funeral: It seems that the dear departed had another wife named Gloria (Anne de Salvo), whom he never bothered to divorce -- if, indeed, he'd ever intended to do so. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John DeBello, the man who brought you The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes back in 1978, was responsible for the 1987 fantasy farce Happy Hour. The premise: a Coors-like beer manufacturer stumbles onto a secret ingredient that compels the guzzlers of America to consume its product exclusively. The complication: the magic formula has been stolen by a rival brewery. The original beermeisters send Rich Little out to steal back the formula, while the rival company dispatches Jamie Farr to prevent Little from completing his mission. Upon meeting one another, Rich and Jamie discover that they're old college chums and former student activists. Together, Little and Farr attempt to foil the mercenary machinations of both beer companies. Is Happy Hour as funny as John DeBello imagined it to be? Let us merely observe that the film's high point is a shot of a group of six-year-olds chugging beer, and that the closing image is of a pretty blonde who chastises the audience for not being smart enough to follow the plot. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi